Scottish Blog

The Shetland Pony is a breed of pony originating from the Shetland Isles, in Scotland.

The Shetland Pony officially ranges between 28 and 42 inches in height. For their size they are relatively strong, combined with their short legs, gives the Shetland Pony a strong and muscular appearance. In fact, in the right conditions, the Shetland Pony can pull approximately twice its own weight, as opposed to a draft horse which can is reputed to be able to pull half its weight. The Shetland Pony ranges widely in its coloring, and includes almost every color range of other horse breeds. It is also said that the Shetland Pony is an intelligent horse breed, although prone to bouts of stubbornness under improper training.

It is believed that the Shetland Pony could be found in the Shetland Isles from as early as 1000 B.C. Although the roots of the Shetland Pony are obscured and not found in any recorded sources, some researchers do have theories as to the origin of the Shetland Ponies. Primarily it is believed that the breed is related to the Celtic Pony, which was brought to the area as early as 2000 B.C. The other is that they are related to Scandinavian Ponies, as it is also believed that the Scottish Isles and Scandinavian islands were connected until the end of the last Ice Age.